Method and apparatus for delivering data from an information provider using the public switched network

Abstract

The customer performs a search or otherwise defines selected data maintained by the information provider. Once the selected data is identified, the information provider maintains the requested data, typically by maintaining pointers identiying the data, but delays delivery of the requested data until the scheduled delivery time, such as a particular day and time requested by the customer or a non-peak period as determined by the information provider. When the information provider determines that delivery is appropriate, it makes a request for a suppressed ringing connection to a switching system. The switching system responds to the request for connection by creating a suppressed ringing connection where a silent alert tone or digital alert signal is transmitted to the customer premise equipment. The customer premise equipment includes a receiving system that receives one or more tones from the switching system over the suppressed ringing connection and becomes active. Upon being activated, the receiving system causes the customer's computer or portions of the computer such as a particular memory to power-up such that the computer can receive the data from the information provider.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for downloading data comprising the steps of: a) establishing a first connection between a customer computer and an information provider;   b) identifying data to be downloaded from said service provider to said computer;   c) terminating said first connection;   d) establishing a suppressed ringing connection between said service provider and said computer; and   e) downloading said data from said service provider to said computer.   
     
     
       2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a download of data includes the step of specifying a specific time at which the step of downloading said data is to occur. 
     
     
       3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of downloading said data includes the step of determining an off-peak time at which said step of downloading said data is to occur. 
     
     
       4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a first connection includes the step of establishing said first connection through a switching system. 
     
     
       5. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of limiting access to selected areas of the computer. 
     
     
       6. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of transmitting a security identifier over said first connection from said requesting computer to said service provider. 
     
     
       7. The method according to claim 6, further including the steps of transmitting said security identifier over said suppressed ringing connection from said service provider to said requesting computer and said computer receiving said download of data only after verifying said security identifier. 
     
     
       8. The method according to claim 4, further including the step of transmitting a silent alert over the suppressed ringing connection to said computer. 
     
     
       9. The method according to claim 6, further including the step of using said security identifier to allow the transmission of data only from the service provider to the computer via the suppressed ringing connection. 
     
     
       10. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of activating a message indicator. 
     
     
       11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said suppressed ringing connection consists of a first connection between the information provider and a switching system and a second connection between the switching system and a plurality of requesting computers, further including the steps of transmitting said data from said information provider to said switching system and broadcasting the data from said switching system to the plurality of requesting computers. 
     
     
       12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said customer equipment includes a modem and a computer, delivering an alert tone over said suppressed ringing connection to activate the modem and establish a communications link. 
     
     
       13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said customer equipment includes a digital interface and a computer, delivering a digital short signal over said suppressed ringing connection to activate the digital interface and establish a communications link. 
     
     
       14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said data is identified by a request from said customer computer to said service provider. 
     
     
       15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of downloading the data includes the step of determining a time for delivery. 
     
     
       16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of determining a time for delivery includes the step of accessing a customer profile. 
     
     
       17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of determining a time for delivery includes the step of determining the availability of network resources. 
     
     
       18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of determining a time for delivery is based on the occurrence of a specified event. 
     
     
       19. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of powering the computer based on receipt of an alert over the suppressed ringing connection. 
     
     
       20. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of powering selected portions of the computer based on receipt of an alert tone over the suppressed ringing connection. 
     
     
       21. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of powering selected portions of the computer wherein the selected portions are determined based on a subaddress. 
     
     
       22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information provider is allowed access to a specific area of the computer based on subaddressing. 
     
     
       23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information provider is allowed access to different areas of the computer based on receipt of different tones. 
     
     
       24. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of limiting access of the information provider to particular software routines in the computer. 
     
     
       25. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of limitng access of the information provider to particular hardware in the computer. 
     
     
       26. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message indicator identifies a specific message type. 
     
     
       27. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message indicator indicates that a data message has been delivered to the customer computer. 
     
     
       28. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message indicator indicates that a telemetry call is in progress.